Transcript

00:00:02

>> With the 2016 Rio Olympics around the corner, Brazil's official mint has been producing the Olympic medals that will be presented on the winners' stands. But here's the catch, the gold medals athletes are chasing are nearly 99% silver. They contain just 1.2% gold, mostly used as plating. Reuters' Kai Osaj visited the mint in Rio de Janeiro, where production is underway.

00:00:26

>> There are 812 gold medals here in the Casa da Moeda, the official mint of the government in Brazil. Each gold medal has six grams of gold. Right now, we are in the area where the medals are being boxed to send to the athletes later on in August.

00:00:45

>> About 100 workers are putting in shifts around the clock taking about two days to produce each medal.>>

FOREIGN]

> We work hard and then to see it on the athletes' chests is a big deal because very few of the athletes are going to win. A lot will compete and just a few will reach that, so this is a big deal for us too, to know that the medals are highly valued.

00:01:10

>> The mint is producing a total of 5,130 medals, nearly half of which are for the Olympics. The rest are for the Paralympics. Those will have a small rattle inside them, giving off a metallic sound when shaken.

NOISE] G

ld medals give off a loud noise, with silver and bronze a bit softer.

00:01:29

The idea is to help visually impaired athletes identify the difference between the medals, in addition to braille writing inscribed across them. Here's the best part, you don't even have to compete to get your hands on the medals, they're available to buy for a limited time. The gold ones, with just 1.2% gold, going for $3,000.